


Heartbreak

by merionlilia



Series: Mistakes [2]
Category: Slam Dunk
Genre: Angst, Friendship, Introspection, M/M, One Shot, POV First Person, Secret Crush
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-19
Updated: 2021-02-19
Packaged: 2021-03-15 14:08:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,081
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29560275
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/merionlilia/pseuds/merionlilia
Summary: Short one-shot from the perspective of Kogure. It’s a spin-off of the fanfiction “Mistakes”, linked to the events told in chapter 1. Kogure and Mitsui are attending the first year of high school here.I realized I loved Mitsui just when I lost him. Was really him the one I spoke to in front of his house? He yelled at me that he never wanted to see me again with a rage I didn't understand.
Relationships: Kogure Kiminobu/Mitsui Hisashi
Series: Mistakes [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2167731
Comments: 2
Kudos: 2





	Heartbreak

It was over.

I realized I loved Mitsui just when I lost him. Was really him the one I spoke to in front of his house? He yelled at me that he never wanted to see me again with a rage I didn't understand.

 _“The two of us are no longer teammates and not friends”_ , Mitsui said. It was a statement similar to a stab, hard to digest, which exploded in my mind only after a few hours. As I walked away from his house, I held the pain back and choked it inside me, finding myself out of breath. I knew that if I dwelled on it for just a second, I would collapse.

I had to hide my sadness at the gym the day after the confrontation with Mitsui. Everyone knew I had gone to see him and was waiting for me to say something about how he was.

“He said he won't come to the gym anymore. He leaves the basketball club,” I said with a lump in my throat. I didn't want to think about it.

Everyone remained upset, especially those who, like me, attended the first year and thought at him as an inspiration.

"What?" one of the freshmen fretted. "Is his knee injury that serious?"

"Why did he fight with that classmate of his?" said another one.

"I ... I don't know," my voice cracked. I realized that my whole body was shaking. Akagi placed a warm hand on my shoulder, then stepped forward.

"We'll try to understand more of the situation when Mitsui gets back to school," he interjected calmly, speaking to the others. He had noticed that I was not well and wanted to help me. “However, let's get it into our heads that we have to get by without Mitsui. Whether he is here or not, we must do our best. Access to the national tournament depends not on the individual, but on the strength of an entire team."

I nodded at him because he was right. Even though Mitsui was a great hope for Shohoku for his talent, despairing at his club drop-out was a great mistake.

Train, study, commit every day. I thought that I could go on with this rule, but I was wrong…because Mitsui went back to school, presented the withdrawal form of the club, began to hang out with the worst people of Shohoku High. And I felt heartbroken.

Before falling asleep at night, I used to be lulled by distant memories. I clung to them, precious and beautiful. They hurt me, but for this reason, they acquired an even more intense tint. Those were the good times, too few, I had spent with Mitsui, especially in the hospital, when he had used to make room for me to sit on the bed next to him. Mitsui had often rested his head on my shoulder. The gesture unknowingly had made me die and be reborn from happiness. That prodigy, with a proud and challenging gaze, a smile that could drag an entire team, had allowed someone like me to caress his hair while he had been opening his heart in a low voice.

I understood his sadness, the anger at his injury, or maybe I could only imagine them, but I wanted to be there for him. Or maybe I wanted him not to abandon me.

The tournament ended early for our team that year. The national tournament was still only a dream.

Months after Mitsui's drop-out, I overheard him bragging to his new company about how he had beaten up a defenseless student. I picked up my pace in the corridor so as not to be noticed. It was just before the start of practice. I sought refuge in the gym storage room, in a small corner between mats and equipment. Sometimes I went there when I needed peace. I took off my glasses and cried like I haven't in years. They were tears of anger, of defeat, of loneliness.

A few minutes later, I heard a voice just outside the door.

"Kogure, are you here?" it was Akagi's voice.

I rubbed my eyes quickly to fix myself. "Yes, I'm here."

I raised my head and saw Akagi appear before me. I don't know what I looked like, but Akagi’s gaze was sympathetic.

"You ran away so fast I couldn't reach you," my best friend said.

"I did not see you."

Akagi slipped into the corner where I had found shelter, albeit with some difficulty because of his body. He took a packet of tissues from his pocket and handed it to me.

“Wipe your face, Kogure. That bastard doesn't deserve your tears. You know who I'm talking about,” he said.

I laughed with wet eyes, grateful for his support, taking a tissue and wiping my face. I told him in detail what had happened when I went to Mitsui's house, venting for the first time.

"I liked him, Akagi, and not just as a friend," I admitted. I had always dreaded the moment of having to tell someone I liked a boy, but at that moment, I came out naturally. Akagi had known me for years, and even though I couldn't predict his reaction, I knew that he had always been on my side and was a person of wisdom and few prejudices.

“Now I understand many things,” he said kindly. “It must have been hard for you."

"There must be an explanation that escapes us as to why he went down a bad path," I thought out loud.

"Nah, he just acted like an asshole," Akagi retorted. “Leave him alone, Kogure. It is nobody's job to save Mitsui if he doesn't want to listen. We will reach the national tournament on our own."

I let out a sigh. “Another one of the first-year students left the club yesterday,” it occurred to me. The practice was hard, and someone didn’t believe enough in the results of the efforts.

“Yeah… and you, Kogure? Are you going to give up so easily? " Akagi put a hand on my shoulder.

I shook my head. "I know we can do it."

Akagi smiled. "Well said."

I had my best friend, I had basketball, I was just in the first year of high school. I had to accept it; Mitsui and I would never have played together in an official match, I would never have seen his three-point shots that made spectators dream. Or so I believed at the time.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading to the end. English is not my first language, but I hope that this work was enjoyable to read! Leave a comment if you want!!


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